Extreme Heat and Human Health

Communicating the Health Risks of Extreme Heat Events: Toolkit for Public Health and Emergency Management Officials

Extreme heat is a significant health risk to Canadians - one that is expected to increase as the climate continues to change. To help public health and emergency management officials prepare Canadians for extreme heat and reduce health impacts, Health Canada has developed Communicating the Health Risks of Extreme Heat Events: Toolkit for Public Health and Emergency Management Officials. The Toolkit is intended for use by officials who are developing or updating heat-health communication campaigns. This document provides guidance on delivering a successful heat-health communication campaign and scientifically sound messages that can be tailored to address the needs of a target audience. Included in the Toolkit are a heat advisory media release template and three heat-health fact sheets tailored to suit the needs of older adults, physically active people and parents with young children.

Heat-Health Brochures

Extreme heat is a health risk. This risk will likely increase as our climate continues to change. To help the public prepare for extreme heat and reduce health impacts, Health Canada has developed three brochures. The brochures use consistent and scientifically informed heat-health messages, tailored to the needs of specific audiences.

Fact Sheets for Health Care Workers

Fact Sheets for Health Care Workers -- provides health care workers with information to enhance their understanding of vulnerability to extreme heat, and their ability to identify effective preventions and mitigation measures. These targeted fact sheets have been developed for three distinct audiences:

A number of studies have documented the growing risks to the health of Canadians from more frequent and severe extreme heat events. A major component of public health efforts to protect people from extreme heat events centres on assessments of individual and community level vulnerability. Adapting to Extreme Heat Events: Guidelines for Assessing Health Vulnerability provides an overview of the vulnerability assessment methodology that has been developed by Health Canada, with support from a range of partners active in efforts to prepare people for climate change. The document provides information on the stakeholders and assessment steps relevant to the investigation of heat-health vulnerabilities in Canadian communities along with examples of method application and information on key challenges and limitations.

Extreme heat poses growing risks to the health of Canadians. To assist public health and emergency management officials prepare Canadians for extreme heat and reduce health impacts, Health Canada has developed Heat Alert and Response Systems to Protect Health: Best Practices Guidebook. The Guidebook is intended for use by officials who are developing or updating heat alert and response system in their communities and provides guidance on developing a successful system based on best practices implemented in Canada and other countries.

Included in the Guidebook is information on extreme heat events and the potential health risks to Canadians, including those most vulnerable to the impacts. Guidance on developing a heat alert and response system that addresses heat-health vulnerabilities at population and community levels is presented along with a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of existing systems. The Guidebook also provides examples of preventative measures to reduce ambient temperatures in urban environments and case studies of interventions drawn from communities across Canada and internationally.

Extreme Heat and Health in Canada - Resources for the Health and Emergency Management Sectors (CD)

(2012) The Extreme Heat and Health in Canada CD contains a collection of Health Canada's publications concerning extreme heat and the related health effects. The CD contains eleven (11) publications in pdf format which are available for reviewing, downloading, or ordering directly from Health Canada's online ordering system, using the links provided. This product has been designed for easy dissemination at events.

Newsletters: Your Health and a Changing Climate:

Newsletter #4 was a special issue and highlighted events which took place during the Montreal Climate Change Conference in November 2005 (COP 11). The Conference provided an opportunity to learn more about the health impacts of a changing climate, and to exchange ideas on issues and solutions with health professionals and experts from around the world.